When I was in my early twenties, I went crazy for slow cookers. At the age when most young women are spending their discretionary cash on shoes or nights on the town, I was saving my pennies for a sturdy slow cooker with a built-in timer and an auto-off feature.

In those days, money was tight (as it so often is in those first years out of college) and so I was always looking for ways to trim my food budget. I took lunches to work, had friends over for dinner instead of going out and turned all my scrap celery leaves, carrot peels and chicken bones into stock.

My fleet of slow cookers made a lot of that frugal eating possible. I regularly used a tiny one to make overnight oatmeal (with a little dried fruit, it was delicious and cheap). I made batches of lunchtime soup in an ancient 4-quart cooker I’d gotten for 75 cents at a yard sale. And I bought tough, unlovable cuts of meat and cooked them tender in my oval 6-quart cooker.

When you find yourself faced with last-minute entertaining duties or you simply want to dress up your usual dinner spread with a few premeal munchies, it’s a good idea to have several seasonal appetizers at the ready in your recipe arsenal. These go-to starters ought to be just enough to tide over friends and family without weighing down their appetites, and should ultimately complement the rest of the meal. If you’ll be setting up a burger bar for dinner, for example, you may want to steer clear of sliders for a starter and opt instead for something simple like salsa and chips. Similarly, if you’re serving a seafood feast as an entree, use the appetizer course to introduce a shellfish, like New England steamers. Check out Food Network’s top-five summer appetizers below to find fresh, party-ready picks from Giada, Anne, Ellie, Rachael and Alton, then visit Food Network’s Grilling Central to see the rest of our favorite first-course dishes.

5. Beef Pops with Pineapple and Parsley Sauce — Make a simple no-cook sauce of fresh parsley, garlic and vinegar, and let it do double duty in Giada’s mini kebabs as both a marinade for the beef and a final topping on the dish.

It’s no secret that quiche is a brunch staple; after all, most recipes are simple to cook in a hurry, will impress kids and grownups alike, and require little planning or preparation. For these same reasons, however, this typically morning meal is a go-to weeknight supper — especially when you want to enjoy a meatless dinner, as quiche is inherently full of protein-rich eggs. Whether you’ve never before made quiche or you’re just looking to experiment with new recipes, Food Network Magazine’s Crustless Caprese Quiche (pictured above) is an ideal place to start, thanks to its seasonal ingredients and mix of classic elements and creative twists.

Many traditional quiche recipes call for a pastry-crust base featuring either from-scratch or store-bought dough, but Food Network Magazine forgoes this completely, opting instead for a foundation of eggs, dusted only slightly with breadcrumbs. After blending whole eggs and egg whites with creamy ricotta cheese and a splash of milk, add fragrant basil and sweet sauteed onions and tomatoes to create the centerpiece of the quiche, and pour it into a breadcrumb-lined pie dish. A final sprinkle of mozzarella cheese and a topping of ripe tomatoes will add flavor and texture to the dish, inspired by the familiar Italian appetizer of mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. After you bake the quiche, it’s important to let it rest for about 10 minutes, as it’s continuing to cook even out of the oven.

We challenged two prestigious groups — Choppedjudges and Food Network Star winners — to a summer recipe showdown. All season long, we’ll present head-to-head matchups of mouthwatering summer recipes from each team — from refreshing cocktails to fresh farmers’-market salads to the juiciest backyard burgers. By voting each week here on FN Dish or on our Fan Feed, you’ll determine the winning recipes.

At the end of the summer, the team that tallies up the most wins will celebrate with an all-star Labor Day party menu. Who will prevail as Summer Showdown champion — Star or Chopped?

Hot dogs, burgers and barbecue may take center stage at your backyard cookout, but no matter the entree, you surely need a few side dishes to round out your spread. Easy to make in a hurry and guaranteed to impress party guests of all ages, pasta salads are go-to summertime picks, especially since they often can be customized to your family’s tastes, or the ingredients you have on hand. Check out Food Network’s best-five pasta salad recipes below to find top-rated classic and dressed-up creations from some of your favorite chefs, like Giada and Ina.

Dry, crumbly and chewy — three ways you might describe store-bought frozen veggie patties. But Guy’s recipe for Morgan’s Veggie Patties (pictured above), first created by his sister, Morgan, turns out what Guy deems “a non-burger burger.” Moist, tender and full of bold tastes, this hearty between-the-bun creation combines fresh vegetables and an array of spices, plus beans and breadcrumbs, to offer a hearty, juicy patty.

To start making this top-rated recipe, Guy sautes bell peppers, onions, jalapenos and artichokes so that they become soft and subtly sweet, then combines them with white and black beans, chickpeas and rolled oats. Smoky, spicy and fragrant spices and herbs like cumin, cayenne, oregano and paprika offer a punch of flavor, while a single egg helps marry the mixture and allows the ingredients to stick together. Since you’re working with a raw egg, it’s important to let the sauteed vegetables completely cool before adding it; this will prevent any lingering heat from scrambling the egg. Guy likes to form the mixture into patties and then briefly chill them in the refrigerator so that they keep their shape. After a quick sear in olive oil, these picnic-ready patties will have formed a slight crust on the outside and become meatlike on the inside. Finish each with your favorite burger toppings and serve alongside cookout sides and salads for the ultimate summertime meal.

We challenged two prestigious groups — Choppedjudges and Food Network Star winners — to a summer recipe showdown. All season long, we’ll present head-to-head matchups of mouthwatering summer recipes from each team — from refreshing cocktails to fresh farmers’-market salads to the juiciest backyard burgers. By voting each week here on FN Dish or on our Fan Feed, you’ll determine the winning recipes.

At the end of the summer, the team that tallies up the most wins will celebrate with an all-star Labor Day party menu. Who will prevail as Summer Showdown champion — Star or Chopped?

This week, Guy Fieri and Alex Guarnaschellifire up their grills for a head-to-head chicken showdown. Who grills the better bird? Cast your votes below!

This summer, Food Network’s Grilling Central is packed with recipes for the entire family’s taste buds, boasting the best in burgers, dogs, chicken and more all season long. But with so many recipes, where do you start? Each Friday, FN Dish is giving you a complete menu that is stress-free, and this weekend’s spread features fresh seafood.

With hardly any cleanup involved and far less chance of a lingering fish scent in your kitchen, grilling seafood outdoors is a fast, simple way to add a new level of flavor to your favorite dishes. The key to successfully grilling seafood is working with fish and shellfish that hold up well to high heat, like meaty salmon and swordfish, as they’re hefty enough to withstand the flames without falling apart. If you’re new to grilling fish, start with Ina’s Asian Grilled Salmon (pictured above), a top-rated classic that is ready to eat in fewer than 35 minutes. She first marinates the fish in a bold mixture of mustard, soy sauce and garlic, then quickly grills it over charcoal to turn out flaky results. Perhaps the best part of Ina’s go-to dinner is its flexibility; the salmon can be enjoyed when it’s still warm from the grill or later, either at room temperature or chilled from the refrigerator.

While some Italian sauces, like Bolognese, marinara and puttanesca, are best enjoyed after hours of slow and low cooking on the stove, pesto can be made in mere minutes, and, in fact, requires no cooking at all. Most traditional recipes call for just a handful of fresh basil, pine nuts, cheese and olive oil, but the variations on classic pesto are endless and can made by swapping in other herbs and nuts. After blending together your favorite mix of ingredients in a food processor, spoon the vibrant mixture over pasta, spread it onto pizza or drizzle it atop grilled meats to turn everyday dishes into dressed-up meals. For a deliciously easy dip, try serving pesto instead of ranch dressing alongside a platter of vegetables, or smear it onto sandwiches in place of mayonnaise or mustard. Check out Food Network’s top-five pesto recipes below from Bobby, Ina, Giada and more chefs to find five-star takes on this summertime staple.

5. Grilled Shrimp and Cilantro Pesto Pizza — Bobby opts for a duo of fragrant cilantro and parsley to form the base of his pesto, spread onto homemade pizza dough and topped with creamy mozzarella and tender shrimp before the entire pie is grilled.

4. Pesto Pork with Polenta — Food Network Magazine lets pesto do triple duty in its all-in-one meal: as the rub for the lean pork tenderloin, the boost of flavor in the side of spinach and the finishing sauce alongside the roasted meat.

When it’s scorching-hot outside and the temperature in your kitchen is at an equally unbearable temperature, what dishes do you reach for? Fresh greens salads are an easy option, but they can become tired and predictable. For something dressed up yet still simple enough to pull off in a hurry, try chilled pasta salads. Beyond boiling water for the noodles, most recipes require no cooking and can be made with whatever ingredients you happen to have on hand.

Food Network Magazine‘s Cold Peanut-Sesame Noodles is an Asian-inspired take on traditional pasta salad that delivers what is for many the trifecta of sought-after components in a dish: flavor, texture and ease. Featuring kitchen staples like peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar and brown sugar, the sauce on these noodles is both savory and slightly sweet, and the addition of toasted sesame seeds and peanuts offers a hearty crunch. Don’t let the time on this recipe intimidate you; the dish takes just 25 minutes to prepare but needs to chill for an hour, which means that that time is wholly hands-off.

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Flashback to the good old days with these Animal Cracker cookie cutters!

Recipe of the Day: The Pioneer Woman's Individual Key Lime Pies Simply layer individual portions of all the elements — buttery graham cracker crumbs, rich creamy lime curd and a dollop of homemade whipped cream — and you'll have a pie-ish treat you can eat up with a spoon.

Satisfy adult palates and kids' love of all thing pizza at once with this simple mash-up: Rachael's Chicken Parm Pizza.